Trump to dispatch team to work on Israel-Palestinian peace

"He believes that the restoration of calm and the stabilized situation in Jerusalem after the recent crisis on the Temple Mount / Haram al Sharif has created an opportunity to continue discussions and the pursuit of peace that began early in his administration", the statement read.

An American delegation including USA president Donald Trump's special Middle East Envoy Jason Greenblatt and Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner, will arrive in the region in the coming weeks for another attempt at restarting peace negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians, a White House official confirmed in a statement Friday.

Trump has clearly stated, he is personally committed to achieving a peace deal between Israel and the Palestinians that would help usher in an era of greater regional peace and prosperity.

After the incident, metal detectors were put in place around the Al Aqsa mosque, considered the third holiest site to Muslims, enraging Palestinian worshipers who refused to enter, inspiring mass protests and violent clashes that killed five Palestinian youths.

The White House also said the three aides are to meet leaders from Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Qatar, Jordan, Egypt, Israel and the Palestinian Authority about how best to support the peace effort.

The Trump administration eventually waded into the escalating crisis last month, attempting to sketch out a solution to the impasse along with Israel, the Palestinian Authority and Jordan, the official custodian of the compound.

"President Trump has previously noted that achieving an enduring Israeli-Palestinian peace agreement will be hard but he remains optimistic that peace is possible".

The official said the president recognizes peace between Israelis and Palestinians can ultimately only be negotiated directly between Israelis and Palestinians, and the USA will continue to working with those parties towards that end.

The White House declined to comment on the record, but a Trump administration official familiar with the matter told McClatchy that Mr. Kushner will pay the fine.